A recent survey commissioned by GoDaddy and conducted by OnePoll revealed what 2,000 general population Americans feel worked for small businesses during the pandemic and what trends customers hope will continue–uncovering a growing preference toward smarter technology adoption.  

One finding showed what consumers appreciated most about small, local shops including how they innovated with curbside pickup options (41%), contactless payment options (41%) and having an online store (36%). While four in five Millennials (82%) specifically said they would be more likely to purchase from a small business if they can place their order for delivery or pickup. This reinforces the importance of offering convenient and diverse ways for customers to support their local small businesses.  

“An online store for your business might seem counterintuitive at first, but it really acts as a superpower,” said Melissa Schneider, VP of Marketing & Global Operations at GoDaddy. “Having an online storefront or online payment options, along with offering contactless payment options in-person, are all critical to consumers today." 

The survey also revealed that:  

• 76% have made it a point to support local, small businesses since the pandemic began in March 2020. 
• Seven in 10 said they’ve been able to find items at small businesses that they struggle to find in larger stores–particularly homemade goods (55%), fashion items and jewelry (40%), toys (36%), wellness products (36%) and books (33%). 
• The things respondents find the most appealing about small businesses are having interesting items for sale (49%) and the store’s atmosphere (44%). 
• Both Gen-Z (54%) and Millennial (60%) generations couldn’t care less about stepping foot in a large chain store ever again. 
• 68% would shop small businesses more often if they had the option to purchase items online 

With consumers’ overwhelming preference for options like contactless payments and curbside pickup, GoDaddy is proud to offer its Smart Terminal point of sale device for small businesses to meet consumer demands while remaining affordable and at industry-low transaction fee rates. And GoDaddy will continue to empower everyday entrepreneurs by putting the right tools in their hands to reach customers— wherever they are— and ultimately grow their business. 

Survey methodology: 

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 general population Americans was commissioned by GoDaddy on November 11, 2021. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).